He let loose of a sigh that seemed to come from his toes. “Sure, I guess.” He had to start somewhere.
Chapter 15
Maddy spied Connor the next afternoon at the marina. She’d avoided this conversation for three days already and couldn’t justify putting it off any longer. She worked her way down the boardwalk to the pier he was hosing off.
The afternoon sun blazed overhead from a clear blue sky, and a warm breeze toyed with her hair. She pushed it behind her ears.
There was the usual activity at the marina: a small boat coming in off the ocean, a dockhand gassing up another vessel. Working dockside, she’d become familiar with the sounds—the squeak of boats rubbing against the pier, the metal hardware pinging against masts, the distant hum of a motor. When she closed her eyes at night she still heard the sounds.
Connor was backing down the pier, waving the hose wand back and forth across the planks as he went. He wore a T-shirt that carried the marina logo, plus a pair of khaki shorts. His hair was pulled back into a ponytail, a few strands having come loose. A pair of tennis shoes completed the look.
She’d never been very good at eating crow. But lately, every time she thought of Connor, that feeling of regret and shame welled up inside.
“Hey there,” she said when she’d drawn near.
Connor spun around, shutting off the flow of water. He pushed his sunglasses on top of his head. “Hey. How’s it going? Everything okay at the restaurant?”
“Everything’s fine. Running like clockwork, in fact.”
She held out her peace offering—iced tea in a to-go cup that was already wet with condensation. “For you.”
His brows rose and he gave her a brief puzzled look before taking the drink. He took a long sip through the straw. “Thanks. That hits the spot.”
“It’s a hot one today,” she said inanely.
“It is. Darren take care of the plumbing issue?”
Maddy stuck her hands in her shorts pockets. “Yeah, he was great. Very fast and reasonably priced.”
“Good, good.” He nodded, and an awkward pause ensued. The hose dripped, water puddling at his feet. But he didn’t seem to notice or care.
“I, uh, met your sisters the other day. They dropped by the restaurant.”
“So I heard. A pair of busybodies, those girls.”
Maddy thought about Lexie asking if she was single. It embarrassed her to think they might’ve also quizzed Connor about her. Especially given the way she’d treated him. He probably wanted to steer a wide path around her. If not for his crisis at the restaurant he would have done just that, no doubt.
“Listen, Connor... you have a minute? I hate to bother you at work, but our schedules kind of conflict.”
Curiosity flashed in his eyes. “Sure. I have to move a boat down the bay. Come along?”
“Oh.” She checked her watch. “How far is it?”
“Just down there.” He pointed to the houses on the far end of the bay, maybe a half mile away. “We can walk back. Unless you need to be at the restaurant early today.”
“No, that’s fine.” This would give them some privacy and ensure they weren’t interrupted.
He wrapped up the hose, then she followed him to a small sailboat and he ushered her on board. She sat on the nearest bench. It was a nice vessel, shiny blue on the outside, crisp white on the inside. Comfortable, but not yacht-sized or as luxurious as a lot of the boats at the marina.
He set the tea in a cup holder and loosened the ties from the cleats. The boat dipped as he came on board. He took a seat several feet away in the captain’s chair and turned over the engine. The boat vibrated beneath her, and the steady hum of the engine filled her ears. He began moving it from its slip.
“The owners just got a new pier,” he said over the wind as he navigated slowly into the empty bay. The boat rose and dipped on the small waves.
It had been a while since she’d been on the water. She hadn’t realized she missed it until this very moment. “She’s a beauty. I’ve never sailed before.”
He tossed her a look, his escaped hair blowing across his face. “Is that right? I thought you’d be an old pro, coming in the summers like you did.”
She lifted her shoulders. “No one in my family knew how. We only had a little fishing boat and a kayak. I took the kayak out a lot.”
